Voice Box

In this Ectocomp 2015 entry, the unnamed protagonist is robbed of her voice, and at each turn she has two options: to weep, or to seek.

The two options suggest a world of contrast: weep, and be resigned to your fate; seek, and be active in reclaiming your voice (or finding a new one).

B Minus Seven writes abstractly, hinting here and there at wisps of setting, but nothing really substantial ever features. The focus, rather, is on her actions. There could have been more, but because of the abstract writing, it’s like looking at something from the corner of your eye. Where is the metaphor? What is it illustrating? It’s never really clear.

The game is over in three moves, and I found it too short to get to the meat of the story. The protagonist remains inscrutable, a blank shell: it’s hard to feel for a protagonist if you don’t know much about her. Nonetheless, BMS uses an interesting way of telling story, and it’s one game worth checking out.

I do like concepts like this – the simplification of the choice mechanic reminded me of When acting as a particle / When acting as a wave – but it felt like a glimpse into a weird and intriguing world, rather than a chance to immerse myself and roam around.